No one was surprised when Francis Ford Coppola revisited Apocalypse Now, but his overhaul of The Outsiders raised a few eyebrows. Here was a modestly successful film better remembered for its Brat Pack cast than its Oscar-... more »winning director, but The Complete Novel succeeds in bringing more of S.E. Hinton's young adult classic to the screen along with Coppola's epic vision. The story remains the same: The working class greasers and wealthy Socs ("Socials") of Tulsa, OK, circa 1966, are at war. Despite the bigger names in the cast--Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe--the friendship between C. Thomas Howell's Ponyboy and Ralph Macchio's doomed Johnny is still the focus. If anything, Tom Cruise, as an obnoxious greaser, gives the least promising performance, while Matt Dillon (Crash) as the unpredictable Dally and Diane Lane (Unfaithful) as the beautiful Cherry provide a taste of the mature work to come. Aside from 22 minutes of restored footage (including a prologue and epilogue), which add heart and grandeur, The Complete Novel includes several new rock and roll tracks, most by Elvis Presley. In the end, the revamped Outsiders still plays like a cross between Rebel Without a Cause and The Last Picture Show--and that's a good thing. --Kathleen C. Fennessy« less
Actors:C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe Director:Francis Ford Coppola Genres:Drama Sub-Genres:Family Life Studio:Warner Home Video Format:DVD - Color,Full Screen,Widescreen,Anamorphic - Closed-captioned DVD Release Date: 11/30/1999 Original Release Date: 03/25/1983 Theatrical Release Date: 03/25/1983 Release Year: 1999 Run Time: 1hr 31min Screens: Color,Full Screen,Widescreen,Anamorphic Number of Discs: 1 SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Total Copies: 2 Members Wishing: 0 MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Languages:English Subtitles:English, French See Also:
A must watch classic with numerous a-listings when they were young! Stay gold, Ponyboy!
Movie Reviews
This new special edition "Stays Gold"
Cubist | United States | 09/20/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Coppola's original version was quite faithful to Hinton's book and this new edit is even more so. He has put back in 22 more minutes, most noticeably at the beginning and end of the movie. This new footage opens up the film more. We are introduced to the greasers much earlier on now that Coppola isn't reigned in by the dictates of test screenings. He is able to take the time to immerse the audience in this richly textured world shot in glorious widescreen by Stephen Burum who adopts a look that evokes another epic about troubled youth, Rebel Without A Cause (1955). The film is drenched in the golden hues of warm sunrises and sunsets like something right out of Gone with the Wind (1939).
Another significant change has Coppola replacing all of his father's beautiful, classical score in favour of period rock `n' roll music. In some cases, like the opening scene where Ponyboy is jumped by some Socs, it works and in others, like the whimsical surf music that plays over the scene where the Socs jump Johnny and Ponyboy, it feels awkward and out of place. Part of the film's original charm was its moments of `50s style melodrama, as epitomized by the film's orchestral soundtrack, and this diminished by the newly inserted period music that could be right out of an episode of Crime Story. Hinton's books are timeless with their universal themes and the original music reflected that. This new music, while accurate for its time period, contributes to a loss of some of the timeless feel.
On the first DVD is an audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola. He addresses the changes in the soundtrack by saying that after all these years he wanted to move away from a score that commented on what was happening to music that the characters would actually be listening to. The filmmaker delivers another top notch commentary full of smart observations and talks at length about why he prefers this cut.
There is an additional commentary featuring Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe and Matt Dillon. Coppola invited all of them back to see this new cut of the film with Lowe and Dillon recorded separately. This is an entertaining track that fans will love. It's great to hear these actors talk about this movie after all these years.
The second disc kicks things off with a retrospective look at the movie, entitled, "Stay Gold: A Look Back at The Outsiders." In a nice touch, we see Lane, Macchio, Swayze and Howell being reunited with Coppola at his ranch where they recorded their commentary. This is an excellent look at the movie with all kinds of good, on set footage.
"S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa" features the publicity-shy author revisiting the locations that Coppola used in the movie, including the drive-in which still exists. She talks about how Coppola worked closely with her on the set to make sure that the script was true to her book.
"The Casting of The Outsiders" has casting director now producer Fred Roos take us through the casting process with audition footage from back in the day. People like Kate Capshaw and Adam Baldwin tried out for the film. Anthony Michael Hall even read for the role of Ponyboy!
A nice addition is "Readings," with some of the cast who came back for these featurettes reading their character descriptions from Hinton's novel.
"NBC News Today Segment: The Outsiders Started by School Petition." This is a new story done during the film's original release about how a class of California school kids wrote a letter to Coppola asking him to make Hinton's book into a movie.
There are six "Additional Scenes" with more footage from the opening that is even more faithful to the book but the rest of the scenes amount to extensions of existing ones.
Finally, there is a theatrical trailer."
Extended Edition
80's Girl | Cali | 08/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm so glad they decided to put out a Two-Disc Special Edition. This movie is well worth it and now we get to see the deleted scenes we've been waiting for. I hope the rest of the 80's classics get this treatment. It's awesome that Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Diane Lane all made a commentary segment for this DVD, the only bad thing is Tom and Emilio aren't in the commentary.
Just watched my Copy of THE OUTSIDERS---
Wow. This was so freakin' awesome you guys. There is 22 extra minutes added to the movie and 10 additional deleted scenes as special features. For the people who were disappointed in the movie because it lacked scenes from the book you have got to buy this edition. All of the scenes are added to the movie like I previously said. The special features are outstanding as well. They show a reunion at Francis Ford Coppola 's house screening the new extended movie with Diane Lane, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze and Ralph Macchio. There are cast interviews and a special with S. E. Hinton talking about the book and the movie. She also shows the places the movie took place. Like the movie theater, the school, the brothers house and the street Dallas was killed. There's much more extra's, so enjoy."
Soul stirring drama-PhantomCool014@excite.com
Cubist | 05/30/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"FILM REVIEW "The Outsiders" Rated PG. 88 minutes. First screened in 1983. As a film-lover myself I believe that this movie is one of the most beautiful and touching that I have ever seen. Based on the stunning novel by S.E. Hinton, only. a teenager herself when she wrote the book, this movie conveys all the emotions and tension of the book. This movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola( director of the famous films : The Godfather, The Godfather 2 and Apocalypse Now) has a certain magic about it that you just don't get in a Disney movie. The reason for this is that this tale is one of sadness, despair and a teenager in the 50's reaching out for help and finding nothing there. Eventually the movie makes you realise that with the togetherness of the gang, Pony boy has got all that he ever needed. The acting in this film, while touching, left a little to be desired. The plot was simple but solid and supported by a range of very well known modern actors. Starring such actors as Tom Cruise as Steve Randle, C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis, Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit Matthews, Rob Lowe as Sodapop Curtis, Patrick Swayze as Darrel Curtis, Matt Dillon as Dallas Winston, Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade and Diane Lane as Cherry Valance. All of these roles in the movie were played expertly by the characters listed and they portrayed all the emotions of the book."
What a classic!
missy99 | 02/27/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I loved the Outsiders when it first came out - it is so campy, but it is truly a classic movie. The cast is simply amazing, with a lot of future heavy hitters. The special features on this DVD are truly amazing, and long overdue! Now, the reason why I did not give this DVD five stars - the music! Why did Coppola get rid of the beautiful score from the original movie and replace it with that god-awful music? Perhaps that music worked in a FEW scenes, but for the most part, it really tended to minimize some of the more dramatic parts in the movie. The new music did not work for me at all."
Worth the 22 year wait !
Henry Branham | Howell, MI USA | 09/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've waited 22 years to see this vesion of 'The Outsiders'. While I've always loved the film, I was quite aware that many scenes had been shot but not used in the film. The new beginning introduces the characters and establishes their relationship with one another early on. The new ending (sans the scene at the high school) actually did air on network television back in 1987 and that is the version I've watched ever since. Having it all together on DVD is a true wonder. The new soundtrack is going to take some getting used to it. The Elvis songs work on every level, and the surfer music definitely works in certain scenes but not all of them. The new music tends to make the film more comparable to the JD films of the 1950's and that is OK by me, because as far as I'm concerned this is the best of the genre. Even more wonderful than the new footage in the film are the extras! The documentary, auditions, tour of Tulsa with S.E. Hinton, and "additional scenes" are true treasures to own. A few things to take note of; There is approximately 2 minutes of footage of Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis in the church that is no longer in the movie, but it does appear in the "additional scenes" section. Also, I'm quite positive there was footage shot of Sodapop Curtis and his girlfriend Sandy as I remember seeing photos of him talking to her on a porch. In the book she moves away and a letter Soda sent her returns unopened, which prompts his outburst at the dinner table near the end. This probably should have been included in the "additional scenes" section too. That storyline was later used in 'The Outsiders' TV series in 1990. I have no intention of getting rid of my original version of THE OUTSIDERS, but I forsee that this new special edition will be the one I view most often! If you are a fan of this movie most definitely check it out. Even if you are not won over by the new soundtrack and prefer the original, you have to admit it is a million times better than sitting around watching reality television! "